HIST 2112 Exam 3

WWII

Was Japanese fascism driven by racial ideology?

Yes, it promoted authoritarian militarism and doctrines of racial supremacy.

Why did Japan pursue imperial expansion across the Pacific prior to and during World War II?

To acquire new territory and secure essential raw materials.

Which nation remained the primary obstacle to Japanese expansion in the Pacific after World War II began?

The United States

Which nations constituted the primary Allied powers when World War II began in 1939?

Great Britain and France

Which nation stood as the sole remaining major European Allied power fighting Nazi Germany by late 1940?

Great Britain

Which three nations formed the primary Allied alliance by the end of 1941?

Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States

Which three principal countries comprised the Axis powers in World War II?

Germany, Italy, and Japan

What term denotes the formal conclusion of World War II in the European Theatre?

VE Day (Victory in Europe Day)

What socioeconomic condition made Axis nations particularly vulnerable to the rise of totalitarian dictatorships?

Severe economic instability and the Great Depression.

What policy did Britain and France adopt to satisfy Hitler's territorial demands in hopes of preventing war?

Appeasement

What 1938 agreement ceded Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland to Germany in exchange for a pledge of peace?

The Munich Agreement

Which two nations signed a secret 1939 non-aggression pact to invade and divide Poland?

Germany and the Soviet Union

What direct event triggered the United States to enter World War II?

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

What was the strategic policy prioritizing the defeat of Germany before directing full military resources toward Japan?

Europe First

What Allied strategy in the Pacific bypassed fortified Japanese strongholds to seize strategic positions?

Island hopping

What program allowed the United States to supply war materials to the Allies prior to entering the conflict?

Lend-Lease

Which Allied leaders formed the wartime leadership coalition known as the Big Three?

Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin

What type of surrender terms did the Allied powers demand from Germany and Japan?

Unconditional surrender

Which two major military campaigns in 1943 marked the shift of momentum in favor of the Allies?

The Soviet victory at Stalingrad and the Allied invasion of Italy.

What primary factor brought an end to the Great Depression in the United States?

Massive industrial production and military mobilization for World War II.

How were military units in the United States Armed Forces structured regarding race during World War II?

They remained racially segregated.

Which groups faced systemic barriers and limited access to benefits under the 1944 GI Bill?

Black veterans, homosexual service members, and women.

What cultural propaganda figure was used to encourage American women to enter the wartime industrial workforce?

Rosie the Riveter

What was the name of the celebrated African American military pilots who served during World War II?

The Tuskegee Airmen

What term denotes the official conclusion of World War II in the Pacific Theatre?

VJ Day (Victory over Japan Day)